GOP preparing education campaign on voter ID LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - The Republican Party of Arkansas announced Thursday that it was preparing a campaign to help voters get identification and to educate them about a new law that will require them to show photo ID before casting a ballot. Party officials said they would launch "Operation Vote Arkansas" once the voter ID law takes effect, which won't happen until January at the earliest. The Republican-led Legislature on Monday completed ...

Attorney General sets deadline for Exxon documents MAYFLOWER, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has set an April 10 deadline for ExxonMobil to produce documents connected to the company's oil spill in Mayflower. McDaniel issued a subpoena earlier this week for Exxon's investigative and inspection reports, videos and other data regarding the Pegasus pipeline that ruptured last week in central Arkansas. Exxon has said it will comply with McDaniel's subpoena. A corrective acti...

Panel OKs bill defunding Planned Parenthood LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - A proposal aimed at eliminating public funding for Planned Parenthood won the support of an Arkansas Senate committee Wednesday, a move that the group warned could cut off money to doctors, domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers. The Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee advanced the proposal, which would ban the state from awarding grants to entities that perform abortions or abortion re...

Halter reports $1M raised for governor bid LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Former Lt. Gov. Bill Halter's campaign says he's raised more than $1 million since launching his bid for governor, with most of that coming from a personal loan from Halter. Halter's campaign on Wednesday said he raised more than $360,000 from more than 600 contributors since announcing his bid Jan. 31. Halter also loaned his campaign $640,000. Halter's campaign also said he's received commitments from donors for anoth...

Panel OKs Medicaid money for private option LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - A Senate panel has advanced a proposal that would use federal Medicaid dollars to buy private insurance for thousands of low-income Arkansans. The Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee on Wednesday endorsed the proposal, which was offered as an alternative to expanding Medicaid enrollment under the federal health care law. The proposal would let Arkansas use federal money to purchase private coverage throug...

Sheriff working to reopen Dardanelle jailDANVILLE — Yell County Sheriff Bill Gilkey says he plans to reopen the jail in Dardanelle that was closed last month after three inmates escaped . Gilkey said lack of funding prevented the Dardanelle facility from being sufficiently staffed. The jail was closed March 17 after two men, Seth Chowning and Bret Cooksey, overpowered a jailer while walking back into the jail from the exercise yard. The men then freed Jacqueline Stobaugh and all thre...

Obamacare credits could trigger surprise tax bills WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of people who take advantage of government subsidies to help buy health insurance next year could get stung by surprise tax bills if they don’t accurately project their income. President Barack Obama’s new health care law will offer subsidies to help people buy private health insurance on state-based exchanges, if they don’t already get coverage through their employers. The subsidies are based on income. The lower yo...

NRA study suggests trained, armed school staffers WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate gun control debate on the near horizon, a National Rifle Association-sponsored report on Tuesday proposed a program for schools to train selected staffers as armed security officers. The former Republican congressman who headed the study suggested at least one protector with firearms for every school, saying it would speed responses to attacks. The report’s release served as the gun-rights group’s answer to improvi...

Kerry warns NKorea on ’reckless’ provocations WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday warned North Korea to halt a recent spate of rhetoric and actions, calling them provocative, dangerous and reckless. He also vowed that the United States would defend itself and its allies South Korea and Japan from North Korean threats. Kerry’s comments came after North Korea ratcheted up an almost daily string of threats toward the three nations with an announcement that it would rev...

Customers pack Conn. gun stores after deal on laws NEWINGTON, Conn. (AP) — Customers packed gun stores around Connecticut on Tuesday ahead of a vote expected to bring sweeping changes to the state’s gun control laws, including a ban on the sale of large-capacity ammunition magazines like the ones used in the Newtown shooting and a new classification for more than 100 types of guns as banned assault weapons. Lawmakers have touted the legislation expected to pass the General Assembly on Wednesda...

UN adopts treaty to regulate global arms trade UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved the first international treaty regulating the multibillion-dollar global arms trade Tuesday, after a more than decade-long campaign to keep weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists, warlords, organized crime figures and human rights violators. Loud cheers erupted in the assembly chamber as the electronic board flashed the final vote: 154 in favor, 3 against and 23...

US restraint in Syria could aid Iran nuclear talks WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama’s reluctance to give military aid to Syrian rebels may be explained, in part, in three words: Iranian nuclear weapons. For the first time in years, the United States has seen a glimmer of hope in persuading Iran to curb its nuclear enrichment program so it cannot quickly or easily make an atomic bomb. Negotiations resume this week in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where encouraging talks in February between six wo...

High-skilled visa requests likely to exceed supply WASHINGTON (AP) — The Homeland Security Department expects applications for high-skilled immigration visas to outpace the available supply in a matter of days, one of the fastest runs on the much-sought-after work permits in years and a sign of continued economic recovery amid new hiring by U.S. technology companies. The urgent race for such visas — highly desired by Microsoft, Apple, Google and other leading technology companies — coincides w...

Arkansas AG to open investigation into oil spill LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas' attorney general on Tuesday asked ExxonMobil to preserve records pending a state investigation into a crude oil spill that, while small, has generated broader questions about the safety of cross-country pipelines. Clean-up crews have recovered about 12,000 barrels of crude oil and water since a leak on Friday soiled a neighborhood in Mayflower, about 25 miles northwest of Little Rock, and almost threatened ne...

Senate approves steel mill proposal LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - The Arkansas Senate has approved Gov. Mike Beebe's proposal to provide Big River Steel with $125 million in state financing to help build a new steel mill in northeastern Arkansas. The Senate voted 26-6 for the bill Tuesday - just hours after it cleared a Senate committee on a voice vote. The bill is to be heard in a House committee Wednesday. The legislation authorizes Arkansas to issue bonds to provide a loan and pay...

House panel OKs tax cut for manufacturers LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Manufacturers would pay lower taxes under a plan endorsed by an Arkansas House committee on Tuesday, but legislative leaders have yet to agree on whether those or other proposed tax cuts will be included in their plan to slash $100 million in taxes. The legislation calls for reducing the sales and use taxes on natural gas and electricity used by manufacturers. State finance officials estimate that change would decrease...

Rep. Crawford urges Legislature to reject health plan LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Republican Congressman Rick Crawford is urging the Arkansas Legislature to reject a proposal to offer health insurance to thousands of low-income residents by purchasing private coverage using Medicaid dollars. The Republican lawmaker from east Arkansas on Tuesday said he believed the "private option" lawmakers are considering was destined to worsen the fiscal outlook for the state. Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe has urged...

Mulling '14 gov. bid, Ross resigns Power Pool job LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Former Congressman Mike Ross has resigned his job with the Southwest Power Pool as he moves closer toward a potential run for Arkansas governor next year. A spokesman for SPP said Tuesday that Ross resigned his post as senior vice president for government affairs and public relations as of Wednesday "to pursue another opportunity in public service." SPP is a nonprofit that manages electric services for 65 utilities in ...

Rubio claims pivot point on immigration overhaul WASHINGTON (AP) — Whatever immigration deal might be claimed by labor and business, or by Democrats and Republicans, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida is serving notice it has to go through him. The tea party favorite made it clear over the weekend he has a make-or-break role for the most sweeping immigration changes in decades. It’s a high-risk strategy that also puts his presidential ambitions on the line. Four Republican senators are involved wit...

Obama image machine whirs as press access narrows WASHINGTON (AP) — A photo of the Obamas hugging that was released on Election Day 2012 has become the world’s most popular tweet on Twitter. A dressed-up version of Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech, packed with charts and graphs, is huge on YouTube. A playful picture of the president cavorting with a 3-year-old in a Spiderman costume is a favorite online. It’s all courtesy of the Obama image machine, serving up a stream of words, image...